Arsenal's stunning 5-1 victory over Inter Milan at San Siro has transformed Arsene Wenger's team from no-hopers to favourites in Champions League Group B.
A few weeks after being written off for their dismal record in Europe's flagship competition, Arsenal were heaped with praise by fans and British newspapers alike.
Thierry Henry scored two and made two in a rout which catapulted Arsenal from bottom to second place in the group on seven points, one behind leaders Lokomotiv Moscow who travel to London in their final game on December 10th.
Inter (7) and Dynamo Kiev (6) meet in the other remaining fixture which, if it finished all-square, would require Arsenal only to take a point at Highbury to reach the knockout stage.
The statistics only provide part of the reason for the renewed optimism in the red-and-white side of north London. A lack of self-belief more than a lack of ability lay behind a Champions League run which featured only one win in 12 games before this month's home game with Dynamo Kiev.
A combination of fragility at the back and a failure to kill off opponents who were on the ropes had created a mental block in a team used to sweeping all before them in the premier league. That block began to fissure after Ashley Cole dived to head an 88th-minute winner against the Ukrainians at Highbury.
But it was completely blown away in Milan as Arsenal thrashed last season's Champions League semi-finalists, scoring three times in the last five minutes as they avenged an earlier 3-0 defeat by the Italians at Highbury.
Though delighted, Wenger was wary of making any assumptions of a place in the last 16 from such a tightly contested group.
"We have turned the situation in our favour but we still have it all to do," he told reporters.
The key to Arsenal's transformation has been the European form of Henry, which has too often been erratic. The Frenchman has waited for a year to match his hat-trick in their emphatic 3-1 away win over Inter's Serie A rivals, AS Roma.
But in Milan, he followed up the three assists provided in last Saturday's 3-0 win at Birmingham City with an even more devastating performance. Arsenal still have to finish the job next month, but mentally, if not physically, they will walk out as even more formidable opponents.